Nelson Mandela did the unexpected

9:18 PM,
Dec. 6, 2013

Written by

LOUISE BRANSON

Nelson Mandela, the saintly "father of South Africa," who died Thursday at age 95, had dozens of titles, awards and honors. Former president of South Africa. Nobel peace laureate. Anti-Apartheid freedom fighter. Even the Lenin Peace Prize. An unofficial one-time nickname, however, might best explain him. Before South Africa's Apartheid rulers imprisoned him, the press dubbed him the Black Pimpernel. Like the elusive fictional Scarlet Pimpernel, Mandela disguised himself in ways authorities did not expect, including as a chauffeur.